


Wayward Son

by Browneyeblue



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), NCIS
Genre: Angst, Dark Steve, Hurt/Comfort, Serial Killers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-29
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-28 20:12:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5104259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyeblue/pseuds/Browneyeblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time, it was really an accident. The blonde man had threatened him and he struck out in the best way he knew how. He hadn’t meant to kill him but it did solve his problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Serial killer Steve! Obviously OOC actions, and slightly AU. This is my first multi-chapter story, I did my best to get the details right. Constructive feedback is welcome. Unbeta'd.
> 
> NCIS characters in use but not the primaries.

The first time, it was really an accident. The blonde man had threatened him and he struck out in the best way he knew how. He hadn’t meant to kill him but it did solve his problem.

In the days after killing the man he was scared, although, terrified might be a better word for his emotional state. He just knew he would be caught. He tried to stay relaxed at work and give away no hint of the misdeed he had done. He was used to hiding a part of himself from his colleagues and teammates, so it was easier than he thought to keep his secrets. He scoured public libraries for information about the man’s death and the police investigation. He learned very quickly that the police cared little for a male prostitute, almost less so than females. The crime was swept away by the police jurisdiction with too little time to investigate and too little care for the man left in the hotel by his john.

In the months after the killing, he relaxed, emboldened by the ability to have control over someone’s life. He was careful and he kept his urges in check. He hadn’t even been down that block since that fateful night. He really didn’t want to hurt anyone else. It just made him feel better, like he was in control of his life. For so long his dad and the Navy had pushed him in every direction, setting up his life plan and ensuring their expectations were followed. The killing had given him a little bit of his power back. Because of this, his superiors were taking notice. They recommended him to go through BUD/S training and encouraged him in his commitment to his country.

It wasn’t until BUD/S was completed and he had his first weekend leave that he had his next encounter. He planned out his trip in detail, knowing that he would need to be far from base to not be recognized or hurt for his actions. DADT was in full swing and he could not afford the shame of losing his position. He had a 72 hour leave. He planned to travel to Colorado, as he had found a bar not far from Denver. It would afford him just enough time to set his plan in motion and get back to base for drill on Tuesday.

As he meandered through Utah, he thought deeply about his plan. He was an intelligent man. He was aware of the modern ability to catch criminals because they did something stupid and let their ego get in the way. He was not like that. He may now be a Navy SEAL but he had never let his ego get in the way of getting work done. Sure, he was slightly pig-headed and steadfast in his opinion, but he knew the best way to work on a team was to listen and set aside his feelings for himself.

He had been siphoning money for a long time and he had almost $5000 cash to get him through the weekend. He had bought a car in CA and paid cash using a fake ID. He had stocked up on make-up to cover his tattoo and a skull cap to cover his already short hair. He was also shaving all of his body hair. He had started doing that before BUD/S training. He knew that it would be less noticeable if it was a habit he brought with him. He had clothing that was far from his usual attire and had bought it at a small second hand shop. He had to be put together but still blend in with the crowd. He didn’t want to stand out because he didn’t want to be remembered.

He stroked himself while he thought about the fun of the days to come, his dick coming to life through his jeans. He thought back to the first man. He had thought at the time that he would never do something like that again. But, slowly, over time, he had begun to crave the sensation. He had nearly gotten himself in trouble in training classes on hand to hand combat, sometimes his body took over and he had to be reminded that he was not actually trying to kill his training partner. Those had been the worst nights to get through, his erection would come on full force in bed as he thought about the power in his hands. He had to jerk himself off quickly and quietly on his bunk.

He was grateful though, that BUD/S was every bit as brutal as they stated. He often had very little time to think or feel outside of the basic body functions needed to complete the tasks in front of him. Without that distraction, he would have needed time away sooner, or done something that would have put him in serious hot water with NCIS and the local authorities.

He arrived in Denver, avoiding toll roads, a little after 1600 local time. He had stopped at a rest stop to apply his cosmetic changes and hide himself. He was able to find a cheap hotel not far from his destination bar downtown and find some dinner before he took a quick nap. He wanted to be fully rested and at peak energy before the night began.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve checked his makeup in the bathroom mirror, satisfied that it would stay in place, he headed to Club Knob. 

The club was everything he wanted, oozing sexual energy and enthusiasm. It was crowded enough for him to easily get lost if he tried. He felt safe as he snaked his way though, allowing the bodies jostle and arouse him. He choose this bar because of the pictures he had seen online, it had platforms that he could observe the crowd from and choose his perfect partner. He grabbed a drink and headed to one of the more shaded platforms to provide him a covert view.

He didn't know if he would find his prey tonight, if he would see the man that could fulfill his desires. Just being in the club allowed him to relax just slightly, to know that these men were not there to embarrass or humiliate him, but to partake in a similar release.

His eyes fell on the blonde man weaving through the crowd. He moved with purpose and direction. His hand was directing another, more timid looking patron. Steve looked him over from his perch, the man would be a perfect quarry. 

Steve waited until he knew the men were finished in the back room before approaching his target. The blonde man was perfect! He looked strong but soft and was just a touch shorter than him. He brought back memories of his first and Steve had to give himself a silent reminder to slow down. He could do this, he wasn’t called “Smooth Dog” for nothing. 

___

“Hey, gorgeous!” Steve whispered in the man’s ear. “Care for a dance?”

“That depends, stranger, you buyin’?” The man responded. Steve knew from the moment he saw the mischievous twinkle, that he had chosen well. Tonight would be a great night. 

“All night, baby.” Steve responded as the blonde took his hand and led him confidently to the dance floor. As he turned to move against him, he could feel his erection growing and pushing against his pants. Steve took a deep breath to help control his reactions. It had been so long since he had felt the hard body of a man on his, grinding and openly appreciating him.

As they grew comfortable, Steve could feel them moving toward the back room as they danced to the beat. He was sweating and aroused and ready for the show to begin. As they made their way to the curtain area, Steve diverted them toward the alley exit in the hall. After briefly making eye contact, the man followed Steve out the door and into the cool night air. 

They made their way to his car, Steve obtaining tacit permission through a slight nod from the blonde man. He couldn’t wait to put his hands on the man and feel the raw power come through his hands. He had been harnessing and holding onto that feeling for so many months and he was ready to feel it again. 

As they made their way into his hotel room, he allowed the man to drop to his knees and take his erection in his mouth. Head thrown back in bliss, he almost lost his mission, until the man removed himself with a slurp and looked up at Steve with amusement in his eyes.

He lost his control then, as the man moved to once again mouth him, Steve wrapped his belt around the man’s neck swiftly and with malice. He jerked quickly to tighten the leather and cut off his air supply. The man was stronger than the last and Steve had to work to keep pressure on as the man clawed at his neck and attempted to scratch at Steve’s arms. 

He slowly felt the life leaving his body as he dropped to the floor upon losing consciousness. Steve turned him back over so that he could look him in the face as he re-tighten the noose and the man’s heart drummed for the last time. 

As he released the belt, his hands went to his cock and he jerked himself off slowly into a garbage can, while staring at the man’s blank face and allowing the power he had thrum through his hands into his dick. He vision grayed as he orgasmed. He sat down and leaned against the bed to catch his breath and think about what he had done how he had gotten to this place.

He decided that it was best not to dwell on the reasons and to simply deal with the results. At the moment he needed to clean up the man and remove any traces of himself from both the room and the man on the floor. He was once again grateful for his training as he had the strength to wash the man of his sin and hide him in the room.

He walked away from the room with a deep satisfaction. The kind that comes with a great personal achievement. He felt high on the knowledge of his power and his control and the secrets he could keep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a quick chapter, the shortest of all of them.

Steve had made it back to base on time after that second weekend. He was able to fine tune and refine his plans and his kills. He knew how far away he could go and even traveled to anonymous locations to do his research. He was careful to never do his research on base or around his colleagues. DADT could still cause him to lose everything, so he carefully plotted and kept his urges in check the best that he knew how. 

It was hardest when he was out at sea or stationed for long periods of time in the Middle East. It was hard to find men to meet his requirements and it was more obvious when people went missing or turned up dead during Navy shore leave.

He found ways to cope that involved women. He didn’t have the urge to follow through with his needs with them. It was more difficult to orgasm and it was not nearly as satisfying but he could manage himself.

He worked his way up Naval command. The urges that had been satisfied had allowed him to keep his control at work and prove to the Navy and his father that he was capable and he was a leader. He had the world around him under his control and he couldn’t have been more secure in his future. He had no doubt that he could maintain his double life, even as he came under more scrutiny. He had no doubts that he would succeed. That is, until his father died.

His father was dead. Murdered, by Hesse. He didn’t think that the spiral of his life could get any more twisted. But then, Danny Williams walked into his life and he felt his control slip through his fingers like sand.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny Williams was a loud mouth, bossy, blue-eyed, blonde from New Jersey. His right hook took Steve back to his first. The image of that blonde prostitute flashed before his eyes as he stared back at Danny. The urge to regain control was strong, but he had to step back and think about the reality. Danny wasn’t a transient. Danny was a cop. A man who would be missed. So, Steve did the next best thing, he made him his partner. 

It worked out well. Or, more accurately, it worked out well enough. Being around Danny kept Steve on edge, and the sexual tension between the two of them was palpable. As they danced around the obvious, Steve need an outlet. He stuck to his previous patterns and routines but it was more and more difficult to find the time away from Danny and the team to continue with his exploits. 

He could feel himself getting sloppy. He tried to keep things quiet and he tried to stick with male prostitutes. Even HPD was stressed beyond their capabilities and were unable to put much time and energy into looking for the killer of the men of the night. But he knew that he was stretching the limits of what could continue to fly under the radar. 

As it was, Danny was getting suspicious that he was keeping secrets from him. Multiple times he had come home to find that his house was not empty during his absence. Whether the freezer mints were eaten down, or the chairs on the lanai had been moved, he knew that someone had noticed he wasn't home. 

It all came together one Wednesday morning as Chin put a new case up on the screen. A blonde, blue-eyed, male prostitute that had been found murdered and dumped along Kaukonahua Road. 

“HPD is asking for 5-0 help with a series of murders that they have discovered occurring with male prostitutes on the Island.” Chin said. “They have found a pattern that indicates someone is targeting male prostitutes fitting the description of the victim on the screen. At this time they have at least six known victims over the past 18 months.”

Chin pulled up pictures and a map of the sites the assumed victims were found. “All six were found a few days after they were killed, along quiet roads across the island. The pattern indicates to me that it is someone that is most likely a local, due to the dump sites being on roads primarily unused by visitors.”

“And HPD only thinks six?” Danny asked. “Is there any physical evidence linking them beyond the physical characteristics and occupation?”

“As of right now, they are working off of the MO and the victimology.” Kono said. “They have not found any physical evidence to link the bodies. They do show evidence of washing, very little trace was left behind. No fingerprints or foreign DNA has been found even though they were known to have engaged in sexual activity within the time frame prior to their disappearances. They were all strangled with what the CSU thinks was a leather belt.”

Steve’s mind was racing! He was trying to follow the conversation and not panic with the knowledge that his team could very well find something to further the case. “So, no physical evidence to work with?” Steve asked. “What do we have to work with then? Do we have anything concrete?”

“No. Nothing concrete at this time. HPD thought we could really help do some surveillance and maybe some undercover work….” Chin trailed off, as Kono pointed her fingers between Danny and the victims on the screen. 

“The match is uncanny, Boss #2,” she said. “The victims had been picked up in and around gay clubs. We may be able to put you in and see if we can draw this guy out.”

Danny blew out a deep breath and looked at Steve. Steve shrugged and said, “well, it may work.” He snickered at Danny’s reaction.

“It MAY work, huh? May work? I may get picked up by a serial killer at a gay club and hope not to get strangled by the time that you cover my ass?” Danny waved his arms about and let out another deep breath that turned into a heavy sigh. “Fine.”


	5. Chapter 5

It has been weeks. I am really tired of leather pants and loud music, Steve,” complained Danny. “Weeks, and nothing. We thought he was increasing in his activity and aside from an excessive amount of drug use, we have found NOTHING! It is like this guy knows what we are doing. I wonder if we need to vary something in order to make sure this isn’t someone working for HPD. I know everyone watches crime shows these days but maybe it is someone with a more intimate knowledge than we thought.”

Shit, thought Steve, shit, shit, shit. He knew this was coming. He knew that Danny and the team would start to wonder if nothing came of any of their activities. Now, he had Danny looking at him strangely as he tried to maintain composure during his minor internal freakout. He had been doing so well, but he needed to let off steam soon and didn’t know how he was going to be able to get the time to go through with his plans. 

“Earth to Steve...Steve! You okay?” Asked Danny.

“Yeah, I am fine, just feeling a little under the weather.”

“You? What the hell have you done with my partner?”

“Nothing, Danny. Just not feeling 100%. Is that not allowed?” Steve snapped at him. 

“Hey, hey, hey, you need to chill out, SuperSeal. I have never heard you ever admit to anything other than perfection. Just a little surprised is all. Do you need anything from me?”

Yeah, I need you to back off! “No, nothing, just...I am going to let the Governor know we will stand down this weekend. I think we could all use the break to refocus.”

Danny narrowed his eyes at him, wondering how much he should trust his partner. Never in the two years they had worked together had he ever admitted any weaknesses, he turned over the information in his head before nodding at his friend. “Okay.”

“Okay, it’s settled. Can you please let Chin and Kono know?”

Danny nodded before leaving the office. Concerned and confused about the behavior of his friend. He had a feeling when the dust settled, something bad was going to surface and he didn’t like it.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve walked in the door without noticing the couch pillows had been moved or the empty beer bottles in his recycling bin. He felt refreshed and ready to take on his responsibilities again. He had been stressed all day wondering how he was going to pull of his next moves but as he settled into his bed and thought over the day, he couldn’t help but be proud of himself. 

He had stuck with his usual methods but had varied his dump location. The man shouldn’t be found for several days, if not weeks. The location was more isolated than the ones before. He hadn’t really been trying to hide the bodies before, only get rid of them so that they wouldn’t be traced to him. Now, he was trying to conceal his activities even more. He was certain that the time it took to find the body would throw off any information his team gathered. He fell asleep peaceful and content that his world was right again.   
____

While Steve slept, Danny brooded. He had stopped by Steve’s house to once again find him not home with no information or explanation as to where he could be. He had tried to call but Steve had not answered, that concern was heightened by Steve’s cell being left on the counter. As he continued to dwell on his concerns, he ended up at the Palace looking over tracking information for Steve’s truck. 

He noted that the truck had returned to its home and had been stationary for the past hour, so Steve had returned. He had pulled up the information for the truck GPS for the past six months. His gut churned as he spotted the work board for the serial killer case they had been working for the past 6 weeks. As he looked at the map on the big screen, he saw similarities to the dump site map that Chin had put together at the start of their case. Shit!

He pulled up the dates of the murders and compared them to 5-0 down time. All of the deaths corresponded to weekends that they had not been on-call. As he pulled up further information, he realized that most of those were also weekends he had Grace and had not been in contact with his partner. At least two of them matched to weekends that he had stopped by and been unable to find McGarrett. Shit!

Danny pulled up the VICAP database and entered the search parameters that corresponded to their cases. He was met with at least eight additional cases that matched the victimology and MO of their serial case. He sat back in his chair, confused and disappointed. He didn’t even know where to take this information. He knew that he needed help and if he wasn’t careful, he could become a victim in his friends sick fantasy.

“Chin. We have a problem. Can you meet me at the Palace in the next half an hour?”  
_____

“Thanks, Chin. I know it’s late, I just...I need your help...and I need you to hear me out before you say anything. Can you do that?”

“Of course, Danny. What’s going on?” Chin was beginning to worry as he took in Danny’s pale complexion and stressed posture.

“I have some information regarding a potential suspect in our serial murderer case. I just need to run it by you and see what direction it should go in.” Danny responded as vaguely as he could, hoping to let Chin remain neutral as long as possible. 

As Danny laid out the information, Chin was becoming increasingly interested in his theory. He seemed to have had some insight into a potential suspect that was looking very promising. “How did you get this information, Danny? And, who is the person we are looking at?” Chin was getting worried that he wasn’t going to like the answers. He knew Danny suspected HPD.

“It’s Steve.” Danny said at barely a whisper as his eyes flashed with anger. 

Chin looked like he had seen a ghost, “Steve? OUR STEVE?!?! Danny…”

“I know.”


	7. Chapter 7

Chin didn’t speak for few minutes after the final revelation. “We can’t let him know,” he finally said. “We need to keep this quiet. We know he is highly organized and meticulous. The man has planned covert, top-secret operations for years. If we let him know too much… Geez, Danny, I have no idea how to use this information.”

“I know.” Danny said. “I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out how exactly we should proceed. He is good. At least one of the VICAP hits that match the MO dates back to before he went to BUD/S. I will have to do some further digging to determine if they are all connected. We may need to call in the Feds, we are too close to this no matter how we slice the information. If we can clear him, I don’t want anyone coming back to say we covered it up. If he did these murders...we are too close, Chin.”

“I agree. I can put a feeler out to a friend in NCIS. See if there is any scuttlebutt about him, or our killer in general. Looking at the map, a few of them are port towns. Maybe the murders caught the attention of someone that can help us. 

“I will clear your searches from our mainframe, so Steve won’t be able to see that you have searched for his information. I think we should also keep the VICAP search out of the main investigation. I will back-up the data externally, and can secure your laptop further to prevent him from getting in if he suspects anything. He is better at computers than we give him credit for.”

“Sounds good, Chin. I can continue the searches off the books and see where they go. Let me know when you find out something from your contact. My gut says this isn’t good. What should we do about Kono? She is going to be pissed, but this is going to be hard enough to keep from Steve. The fewer people with direct contact the better off we are.”

“I think we give it time to solidify what we know, and see where it takes us. She is just as loyal as you and I, but she is still a little naive. We have to be in top form for him not to suspect that we know something. I wonder… our undercover operations haven't been successful, we may be able to get somewhere if we talk to him about backing off, due to a lack of evidence to go off and you getting no bites.”

“We probably can. He seemed incredibly stressed yesterday, he doesn’t realize he has tells and he may be slipping. We also need to follow the GPS data on the truck and see if it leads us to something. If it takes us to a body, we really have the proof that I need, but we will need more. You have a vehicle I can borrow that doesn't have a GPS tracker? I will leave my phone here too. That way if he gets suspicious, none of my activity will track with his.”

“Good plan. I am sure one of my cousins will let me borrow something. I will call my contact in the morning too. He is on the east coast, and I don’t want to wake him. What do we do if you find a body?”

“Man,” Danny said, wiping his hand down his face. “Leave it? Fuck. I hate this. We can’t move it without him finding out or involving HPD. I will take photographs and leave it in place. Fuck, Chin!”

“Okay, well keep me posted. If we find something we will need to expedite the Federal response. They can probably keep it secret better than we can, but this is still a small island. It will get back to him. Let’s break for now. Go home, try to get some sleep. I will set up the computers like we discussed and maybe give my friend an extra early wake-up call.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I will head out at first light. I will not find anything out there now. Let me know what your contact says, eh? I will let you know when I head out. Leave your cousins car here before you go home?”

“Yeah,” said Chin. “I will do that, I will text you what it is and put the key under the wheel. Get some sleep, brah.”

“Thanks, man, you too. And, thank you for hearing me out. Good night.” And with that, Danny left to head to his apartment and yearn for sleep that didn’t come. 

\-----

NCIS “Very” Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was just walking into work when his phone rang, looking at the screen, he smiled wide. “Chin Ho Kelly. How are you, man? I haven’t seen your smiling face in way too long my friend.” He said as he settled into his desk. He was the first person in, ready to complete some paperwork before the minions arrived.

“Hey, Tony, I am doing okay. I hate to call for favors but I have a problem that needs outside eyes.” Said Chin.

“Are you okay? All your people safe? You know that I will do whatever I can.”

“I am okay, everyone is safe, but everything is a little sideways right now. Do you have a few minutes for me to explain?”

“Shoot. Got as many minutes as you need.

“Thanks.” Said Chin.

As he explained the situation and his concerns about his team leader, Tony’s hair started to stand on edge. His gut churning in line with Detective Williams. As his boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs came in for the day, he interrupted Chin. 

“Hang on, Chin. I am going to move to a conference room with Gibbs. You need to repeat some info but he needs to hear this.”

Gibbs gave him the stink eye as Tony shepherded him to a conference room off the bullpen. They were the only two in that early but based upon the overview he had received, the privacy was needed. Putting Chin on hold, Tony turned to Gibbs.

“Do you remember the complaint we received from a young Marine that had suspicions about a SEAL that he ran across in port? It was more DADT, with very little evidence but the Marine had seen the SEAL in the ‘Stan and had suspicions about a body that turned up. We didn’t have anything to go off of at the time, and the Marine had bad blood with the SEAL, so we had our hands tied. It was about four years ago.”

“It rings a bell,” said Gibbs, “SEAL was decorated. No reason to pursue.”

“Okay, now hold that thought.” Tony put Chin on speakerphone and had him explain the circumstances of the call.

When he was finished, Gibbs was not happy. “Well, shit, if what you are saying is true, this spans quite a long period of time. Do you have any idea how many bodies we are looking at here?” Asked Gibbs.

“At least 6 here in Hawaii, we think one more and will confirm this morning pending your suggestions. VICAP spit out about 10 so far, but we haven’t fully analyzed them or done more detailed searches. Some are port towns, some are not but we need to dig into the information. I can’t do that on my end without garnering suspicion from Steve or Kono. It would probably be best if they were done off of our servers too. Steve worked in Naval Intelligence, so he has a good working knowledge of computers, even it he lets me do all the work most of the time.”

“So, we are looking at maybe a dozen we can confirm? Shit! Vance is going to be pissed. What did you mean that one is pending this morning?”

“Danny is using the GPS data from Steve’s truck to determine if he dumped someone yesterday. He is supposed to set out at first light but neither one of us want to just leave a body if we find one, so we did not know how to proceed. We can’t get HPD involved because it will get back to Steve.” Explained Chin. 

“Okay,” said Gibbs, with a nod at Tony. “We will get everything going from our end and give you a contact at NCIS Pearl. Director Vance should be in by now. DiNozzo will explain the drill.” With another nod at Tony, Gibbs left to brief the Director.

“Tony? What does that mean for us?”

“It means, Chin, that you will be seeing my handsome face and devastating body in about 12 hours. Once Vance agrees, and he will, we will get you the Pearl contact that can check for the body and keep it under wraps. We don’t want to leave it either, not only is that pretty shitty, we don’t want to lose any evidence. I know nothing has been found yet, but he has had to change his patterns and maybe that will help us. We will get some computer searches going. Let Pearl handle everything and we will be there soon. I am sorry, my friend. This totally sucks. I couldn’t imagine finding out that Gibbs was a serial killer.”

“Thanks, Tony. For everything. We don’t want this swept away and we don’t want anyone else to get hurt. Danny fits the profile to a ‘T’ too. So I think he is a little more than freaked by this whole thing.”

“Keep your heads down, get some sleep, let Danny know we have his back. I will let you know when we should arrive. Aloha.” Said Tony.

“Aloha.”


	8. Chapter 8

As Tony’s team prepared and ran background, Chin contacted Danny and let him know to stand down. Danny was relieved and exhausted. He thought about calling Steve and lying about being sick, but he knew that his friend...friend? His boss would come calling, and he wanted to have as little non-professional contact with the man as possible until his gut was settled. 

He managed to get a few hours of restless sleep until he had to be in to work. Steve’s truck was in the parking lot when he arrived.

He knocked on his office door to check in. “Hey Steve, enjoy your weekend?” Danny probed.

“Yeah, it was relaxing. Sometimes we need downtime, Danno.”

“Yeah, normal people, SuperSeal, and last time I checked you aren’t normal!” Teased Danny. He was trying to keep everything normal. He was good at undercover work and was putting all of his skills to the test. He knew it was working because he watched Steve’s shoulders drop just slightly as he relaxed. Danny’s gut was screaming at him. “Hey, Chin and I talked about the case and want to have a group chat. We need to re-assess this, I think.”

“I agree, Danny. I don’t see our current attack working. Let’s hit the tech table and see what we come up with. I am interested in what you and Chin have to say.” Said Steve as he walked around his desk and grabbed Danny's shoulder on his way out of his office and over to the tech table. 

Kono and Chin were at the tech table bringing up all of the information they currently had available.

“Okay,” said Chin, “we have 6 bodies, with nothing new over the past 6 weeks. With the pattern we were seeing before, we should have seen another body already. The killer was escalating. Danny and I talked about the lack of progress, and we both feel like we can continue with this on the back burner but until we get a new body or additional avenues to pursue, we are just circling the wagons.”

Danny agreed with Chin, “Yeah, and like I said, I am really tired of leather pants and loud music. We don’t have enough to really go off of and no suspects to speak of. I don’t want to let these families down but we have other families we need to help too. We can keep this open and work on it when we can but right now it feels like a situation that needs monitoring.”

“I agree,” said Steve. He was feeling immense relief with the statements from Chin and Danny. He was trying not to let the relief show in his posture or facial expression. 

“We will keep it as a priority if new evidence or leads come in, but we are limited in what we can do right now. I can update the Governor today and let him know. He may override us but I will do what I can. In the meantime, let’s get all of our paperwork wrapped up so we don’t forget anything. Thanks for all of your work on this one, Team. I know this isn’t what any of us wanted but you have all done a great job for these men. We will not forget about them.”

Chin, Kono, and Danny gave him quick nods before they dispersed to their offices. Steve headed to his office to contact the Governor. He was immensely relieved but his worry also went into overdrive. He was confident that he had hidden his last toy where it would not be found but he had realized that he lost his pocket knife when he moved the body from his truck. He may have to head back out to the area to see if he can find it.

\-----

Danny received a text from Chin. ETA 6:00 PM at Pearl. DB matching profile found at GPS stop point. Danny’s heart dropped when he read it. He didn't know if he could make it through the day. He would have to get Chin out for lunch so that they could discuss the plan. He may have to find some leads to run down in order to get away from Steve. 

He luck broke mid-morning as the Governor called Steve into his office for a briefing about the case. He didn’t expect it to take less than two hours. They could also monitor his truck and phone location so they could freely discuss their situation with Kono and get a plan in place. 

As Steve left, he made eye contact with Chin. He nodded to a confused Kono and they met in Danny’s office and shut the door.

“Okay, Cuz, what the hell is going on?” Questioned Kono and she looked from Chin to Danny.

“I need you to listen and keep quiet otherwise, you need to leave now. We cannot let Steve know about this and you are not going to like what we have to tell you.” Danny said sternly to Kono. She nodded slowly, taking in the seriousness of the situation and realizing something bad was going on.

They outlined what they had found for her, including updates from the discovery by NCIS agents this morning. She became more and more pale as the information settled in. 

“I thought something was off.” She stated. “This investigation seemed to set him on edge. I thought that maybe he was just uncomfortable because of the likeness of all the victims to Danny…” she trailed off, unsure of how to continue. 

“Yeah, I thought so at first too but the evidence doesn’t lie. This wasn’t something that we were looking for, it just kind of slapped me in the face. I don’t like it at all. He is my friend. Was my friend… I don’t know how to feel.” Said Danny.

“Well, it sounds as though NCIS has more concrete information that we can use,” said Chin. “I got an e-mail from someone on Tony’s team. Looks like they can line up Steve’s times at liberty with some of the cases. Other times line up with where he was in port, and even where he was stationed. Shit! How did he manage to get away with that? I am glad we called them in. This may not end well. So far, they can account for 7 men that meet the parameters we are looking at, along with our 7 here we are up to 14. 14!”

“Fuck!” “Holy. Shit.” Both Danny and Kono exclaimed at the same time. 

“This is not good.” Danny looked out the window of his office in thought. “Did they give us any direction? I don’t like the thought of us just sitting around waiting, but I will if we have to.”

“The Agent said to sit tight, it looks like Pearl might be working on a plan also. He gave me the information for our local contact. Let’s give him a call.”

Chin dialed the number provided by the NCIS team. 

“Agent Waters.”

“Agent Waters, my name is Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, with 5-0. I have you on speakerphone with my team, Detective Danny Williams, and Officer Kono Kalakaua. We are looking for direction regarding Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett.”

“DiNozzo said you would call. We went to the GPS drop point this morning and found the DB that was suspected. Between the data sent by you and the evidence found on-site, we are looking to move on this as soon as possible.”

“You found physical evidence?” Asked Danny, with a silent prayer to the police gods. 

“We found a pocket knife under the body. It appears to have been dropped at the time the body was dropped. It is in too good of a condition. It is also inscribed with some script that we should be able to trace back to our suspect.”

“I am the storm?” Asked Danny.

“Shit. Yeah, that’s it. Let me guess, your LtCmdr?”

“Yeah, it was given to him by a Marine after an extraction. He carries it everyday. So if it was found, he will notice that it is missing.” Explained Danny.

“Okay, look, we are looking to be very careful taking in your Boss. He is highly trained and clearly unstable to some degree. Keep your heads down for the day, try to go home on time. Meet the MCRT team here on Pearl at 1800, and we will get all of our evidence together before we get an arrest warrant. We may need more fire power than we usually use in order to keep him under control. Think about the best approach and we can review the situation in its entirety later today. Hopefully by then we will also have some information from the autopsy.”

“Okay, thank you, Agent Waters. We will be there.”

Danny looked at his teammates after they hung up with deep sadness in his eyes. He knew he could trust his gut but the evidence in his face still hurt to his core. He didn't want to believe it but he knew it was right. 

“Okay, let’s break for lunch. Steve just sent me a text saying is stuck with the Governor for at least another 30 minutes. I need to get out for a few minutes and get some air. I have my phone. I suggest you both take a breather too. I don’t know how many more we are going to get over the next few days. I don’t even mind telling him that these cases are bothering all of us and we don’t want to stop even though we need to do so. It is easier to hide a lie within the truth.” Said Danny.

“Sounds good, brah. I am going to clean up some of our data, you and Kono can head out. I will keep an eye on his truck and let you know when he is headed back.” 

Danny and Kono thanked Chin and headed out. They separated in the parking lot, each going to digest the information they had about their friend and mentor.


	9. Chapter 9

Danny looked at his phone as he sat at his favorite overlook trying to clear his head. 

“Hey, Steve, having fun with the G-man yet?”

“Shit, Danny, how come every meeting with the Governor turns into multiple hours of budget review and groveling?

“Ah, that’s why they pay you the big bucks. Suck it up, SuperSEAL.”

Steve scoffed at that. “Hmmph, yeah, that’s it. It looks like I am stuck here for the rest of the afternoon. He wanted all of the information about the last case and now wants to review the outline for the next year. He figures that we have the time now. You can let Chin and Kono know that you guys can stand down this afternoon.”

“Okay, I will let them know. Have fun with all of that.”

“Yeah, so much fun. I will catch you tomorrow.”

“Gotcha, tomorrow.”

Danny closed his phone and looked at the time. It was only 2:00 PM. They had another four hours before the NCIS team arrived. He sighed heavily before pulling himself back from the overlook and heading back to the Palace. 

As he walked back into the Palace, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that this was all going to be wrapping up. He didn’t want to have this hanging over his head for much longer, it was too stressful. 

“Hey, Chin, Steve called. The Governor will be keeping him for the rest of the day. He wants us to stand down. I am more than relieved, my friend.”

The normally unflappable Chin looked markedly relieved too. “Brah, that takes so much pressure off.”

Kono stepped out of her office with a similar look on her face. She was also happy that she did not have to work around her mentor until they had a concrete plan. 

“So, what's the plan?” asked Kono. 

“Plan? Keep our heads clear, keep tracking him to make sure he stays on a good path, and let NCIS do the dirty work. We have a few more hours until they arrive, so I suggest everyone head home and try to get a quick nap in, clean up for a long night. Anyone have any idea about how Steve is going to react to this situation?” Asked Danny.

“I don’t know,” started Chin, “there are so many outliers and variables. Like Agent Waters said, throw in the instability with the SEAL training and we have any number of possible outcomes.”

“That was my thought too. Okay, keep it in mind over this afternoon. Meet at Pearl at 6:00 PM. I am going to go get a Gracie fix to keep my mind of all this and then head home for an hour or so. Keep me posted if either of you have any problems.”

With that, Danny left as he called his ex-wife and confirmed that an after school shave ice would be more than okay and that he would drop his daughter at home around 4:30 PM.

\-----

Steve entered the bullpen around 3:15 PM. The Governor had a dinner to get to and had been able to let him go earlier than expected. He always enjoyed the peace and quiet of an empty bullpen, it allowed him to relax and let his guard down. He sat at his desk and ran his usual searches. He returned to his desk after getting up to get a snack and his heart sank. 

He saw that his flags for searches related to his exploits had been triggered. Someone was looking deeper into the case that the team had just given up on. Based upon the data they had pulled they had his name too. Shit! This could not be happening! He felt his heart begin to race before he took a few deep, calming breaths and talked himself down. He needed a plan. He was trained for emergency situations. He could handle this.

First things first, he knew there was no physical evidence on any of his kills. So anything they may have is circumstantial. He needed to keep that the case. He picked up his truck keys and headed out to his last drop location. He would get his knife back and everything would be fine. Everything had to be fine, he couldn’t accept anything less. 

As he pulled down the dirt road leading to the latest dump site, he had to school his features. He spotted an NCIS van at the end of the road and he knew. He knew they had found him and now he had to act fast. He turned the truck around and headed back to town.

\-----

“Danny, we have a problem, give me a call back when you get this. I think he knows.”

Danny listened to Chin’s message and swore, “MOTHERFUCKER!” This was the last thing they needed. He had just dropped Gracie off at her mothers and the NCIS agents weren’t here yet. He was normally able to make decisions, he didn’t normally cede control to strangers, Feds, even! What the hell!?! This was leaving him completely out of sorts. Even his time with Grace hadn’t settled his nerves. He didn't really know Steve as well as he had thought and was unsure of what the man was thinking or planning. 

He pulled into his apartment parking and headed inside. He needed a quick shower and a fresh change of clothes. He didn’t want to go another 12-24 hours in what he was wearing. As he stepped out of his bathroom, he barely had time to register that the shadows were moving before he felt the blow to his head. He collapsed on the carpet, seeing Steve’s boots at his eye level, and as he faded out he prayed he would see his baby girl again. 

\-----

Chin monitored Steve’s truck from his laptop. According to the screen, Steve had gone from the drop site to his home for the evening. Chin had pulled into Pearl 15 minutes earlier and met with the MCRT agents. Kono arrived shortly after him and they were waiting on Danny.

“Your teammate have a problem?” Asked Gibbs.

“I don’t know, Kono is calling his ex-wife to see if he dropped off their daughter. He should have been here before me. He was going to drop her off around 4:30 PM and then head home for a shower and change of clothes before he headed here. He should be here.” Responded Chin.

“You said our suspect might know we are on to him, explain.” Gibbs glared at Chin.

“We have been monitoring his movements. Each of our vehicles is mounted with a GPS tracker. At about 3:45 PM this afternoon, his activity took him to the vicinity of the last drop. He stopped about a quarter mile short of the drop location and then turned around. According to GPS, he is parked at home.”

Kono came up, “Rachel said that Grace was dropped of at 4:30 PM. He was headed home from there. She hasn’t had any contact since then.”

Gibbs growled as he heard the new information. Tony looked sharply at Chin and said, “We need to head to the LtCmdr’s home. We were able to obtain a search warrant while we were en route and Waters came through with an arrest warrant about 45 minutes ago. We need to confirm that he is home, or not. Can you track any of Danny’s movements via GPS too?”

Chin pulled up Danny’s information on his computer. “His car and his phone are at his apartment.”

“Okay,” said Gibbs, “Ziva, you and Kono head to Danny’s apartment. Tony, you head with Waters to the LtCmdr’s home, see what you can find out. Chin and I will be right behind you, I want Chin to set McGee up with some additional information to be run. Head out!”

Everyone scrambled to complete the tasks they were assigned. No one was able to hide the heavy concern for Detective Williams welfare. The facts were adding up to a really bad scenario for their friend and colleague.

\-----

At Danny’s apartment, as Kono began to knock, Ziva pulled at her shoulder. 

“Blood.”

Kono’s heart started racing as they pulled their weapons. She used her key quietly enter his apartment. They observed drag marks from the bedroom to the front door. As they made it into the bedroom, they saw a larger pool of blood that had seeped into the carpet. Ziva pulled out her phone to call Gibbs.

“Yeah, Gibbs.”

“Gibbs, we have a problem. Blood found at the apartment. Enough that he is going to need medical attention. There are clear drag marks from the bedroom to the front door. We did not observe any blood on our way up the way.”

“Fine. Secure the apartment and I will get a crime scene team out there. Canvas the neighbors, see if they know anything. I will update the team. Let me know if you find anything else.”

“We are to secure the apartment and speak with the neighbors.” Ziva explained to a very pale Kono. 

“Okay, let’s do this.” Kono took a deep, grounding breath as they started with the neighbors. 

\-----

As Tony and Waters approached Steve’s front door. They observed the stillness of the home and the open garage door. A quick search yielded an empty home.

“Gibbs, house is secure. Do we know if he had access to another vehicle? The truck is here but the garage is wide open.” Tony asked.

“Tony, this is Chin, there was an old Mercury that Steve was working on. The last we knew it wasn’t operational, but I don’t know what to believe now. We put a BOLO out on Steve and we can add the vehicle.”

As Chin added the vehicle, they rounded on the house and met up with Tony and Agent Waters. 

“How do we feel about HPD cooperation?” Asked Tony.

“I feel like we need to put out an APB with a ‘observe and no approach’ warning. He has clearly become even more unstable and I think that most of HPD won’t really recognize the danger. Most of them see him as head of 5-0. I don’t know how many will take the information at hand with as much seriousness as required.” Chin explained. 

Agent Waters agreed. “I have worked with McGarrett and HPD. They seem to have a really symbiotic relationship. All of 5-0 really, and while it is great for the island it is shit for our investigation at hand.”

“Okay, let’s regroup.”

“We can use the Palace. It is closer and more central than Pearl. We have the latest tech too, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Agent McGee would just have to meet us there.” Offered Chin.

They all agreed. Ziva and McGee were updated and they all headed to the Palace to regroup and come up with a plan.


	10. Chapter 10

They made it the Palace quickly and started breaking down the information they had on hand. They had to assume that Steve had Danny and was moving forward with a plan that was put together on the fly. They had invited the Chief of HPD and updated him too.

“So, we have to operate with the understanding the McGarrett is highly unstable and very dangerous. We do not have a motive for the murders. We do not know why he feels the need to strangle these men. And now he is holding Detective Williams hostage. We need to proceed with extreme caution.” Tony summarized for the group.

“McGee, where are you at with the searches?” Gibbs asked. 

“I started looking for properties that McGarrett may have access to or other locations on the islands that he would feel comfortable. The majority of his drops were in rural areas, he grew up on these islands, and has done SEAL training here as well. Unfortunately, he literally has the pick of about a dozen places that he could stash himself and Detective Williams. I worked with Chin to narrow down the results based off of topography and area history.” Said McGee.

“If we proceed with the idea that he is still driving the Mercury to stay off of the radar, he will have limited access. Many of the old sugar cane roads are muddy and rutted this time of year. He won’t have the clearance or the power to make it through. We narrowed it down to two locations. One is a SEAL training camp, it is empty and he would know about any planned trainings. The second is a property purchased by his grandfather. We didn’t realize that his grandfather had purchased some acreage.” Said Chin.

“Can we get eyes in either area?” Asked Gibbs.

“Maybe. They are both rather remote but have decent access roads. The SEAL camp has no inhabitants, or other squatters in the area. His family property does have some locals that we can check with to see if they have seen any activity. The best indicators are going to be physical though. Tire treads, smoke, and other signs of life. Neither area should have been accessed in the past month.”

“Okay, let’s split up.” Said Gibbs. “Ziva, Kono, Tony, and Waters take the SEAL training area. McGee, Chin, and I will take a team to the family property. If we hurry we may be able to stop anything worse from happening to Detective Williams. We can use the darkness to our advantage.”

“Chief, can you have medical on standby for us?” Asked Chin. With a nod from the chief they suited up and prepared to find their friend. 

\-----

Meanwhile, Danny woke with a start. Sweaty and in pain, he slowly became aware that he was in the trunk of a vehicle and he was feeling his stomach do flips as his concussion wreaked havoc on his body. The vehicle was moving, and from the size of the trunk, and the fact that Steve put him into it, he determined that it must be the Mercury Steve had been working on since his father’s death.

He took a couple of deep breaths and willed his nausea to go away. He hoped he would be able to get himself out of the mess he was in, but he had no idea as to what Steve’s state of mind was. He didn’t even know where to begin. 

As he felt the vehicle come to a stop he closed his eyes. The trunk opened and Steve started to drag him out of the trunk by his feet. He had his hands tied and no way to prevent his upper body from slamming into the ground. He grunted in pain as Steve began to drag him away. 

The sun had already begun to set and it was getting dark, he must have been out for at least two hours. He wondered where in the hell he was being taken on the island, there were only so many places that took two hours of travel and were accessible by the Mercury. 

“Don’t struggle, it will only make this worse.” Said Steve. “Can you walk?”

Danny just looked at him from his position on the ground, vision slightly blurred. “Where the fuck you think I am going to walk to?” He taunted Steve. 

“Danno, don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“Don’t fucking call me Danno, asshole. You lost that right when you started killing innocent men for fun.”

“They weren’t innocent Daannnooo. They all lived in sin. I was just helping them, easing their suffering.”

“What the actual fuck, Steve? Do you really believe that shit? How much of the past two years has been an act? I don’t even know what to think right now.” Danny glared at him.

“I don’t want to hurt you Danny. I need to keep you safe, stop you from getting hurt. You’re who I have been looking for.”

“Excuse me? Who you have been looking for? I repeat, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, STEVE! You started this insanity before BUD/S, how have you been looking for me this entire time? And, hell, if that’s the case, you still kept killing after you found me and hijacked me into working with you. Goddamn neanderthal SEAL…” Danny trailed off with a mumble as he watched Steve get more and more frustrated with him. 

“You don’t know anything Danny. You don’t get to judge me. YOU DON’T GET TO JUDGE ME!” Steve shouted as he seemed to begin to lose control. “Walk."

Danny didn’t fight this time. He took in Steve’s posture and the vacant look in his eyes and decided it was best to follow along with the command.

\-----

Tony reached the SEAL location before Gibbs and team reached the family property.

“Boss, it’s empty here. No sign of any activity. Road hasn’t been breached and shelter is empty. No vehicle in sight.”

“Okay, make your way over to us.” Stated Gibbs. “We are going to proceed. Stay back until you make contact with us once you are here.”

Gibbs turned to Chin, “They came up empty, what do you expect the ETA to us to be?”

“At least an hour. They have to make it down and then west, to us. There isn’t a very direct way. We are still about 10 out from the main road of the property and then the hut is another 3 miles up the road from the entrance.”

“Okay, we will not be waiting.”

As Chin pointed out the entrance to the property, Gibbs noted the fresh tire tracks. “Recently driven. I am going to cut out and we can walk it.” He picked up his phone and called his second in command, “Tony, parking at the road and walking in. Keep it quiet, we have about three miles in.”

They geared up and quickly made it up the road. One mile in they found the old Mercury abandoned.

“Still warm.” Gibbs grunted out. “We need to keep to the side and keep quiet. If he comes back to the car, we don’t want him to see our treads on the way in.”

They moved to the side and moved along quickly until they came to a small clearing with a shack. The area was overgrown but they could the walkway to the door had been trampled recently. A small lantern lit up the shack and Danny was seen clearly through a window, tied to an old chair.

“Okay,” Gibbs whispered, “we need to get close enough to get an idea of how to take control. We need to try to take him alive, if at all possible.”

“I can get close, and around some of the stickier native plants,” said Chin. “The pink flower along the edge there is poisonous and not so much fun to get on your skin. It looks like quite a few plants have been placed to fortify the property.”

“Well, shit. Okay, we will follow your lead now.” Said Gibbs. 

Chin made his way slowly to the shack, taking in the glow to help him navigate the potent plants around the building. He listened in to the activity.

“I still don’t understand, Steve. I really would like an explanation. I think you owe me that much, especially before you kill me.” Danny tried to reason with Steve to at least give him some information.

“What is there to understand? You are exactly what I need. You are perfect, Danno. And I already said, I don’t want to hurt you. I love you.”

“You love me?”

“Yes. And I need to protect you. You can’t become what those other men were, they were dirty sinners.”

“Are you going to keep me here? You could have protected me at home. And why kill all those men? They weren’t going to hurt me.” Danny’s voice slurred slightly, as the blood loss and concussion impacted his speech.

“I needed to take care of them, Danny. I helped them. They had already gone too far. I couldn't save them, I needed to help them. To let them out of this life.”

“I am sorry, Steve. I still don’t understand. Are you going to keep me here? You know that people are looking for you. Do you think that Chin won’t go to the ends of the earth to find you and me?”

“Then we will just have to be here together. If I can’t keep you safe, I don’t want to be here and you can’t be here without me.”

Chin retreated at Steve’s ultimatum. He still didn’t quite understand why Steve was killing those men, or why he fixated on Danny. But he needed to get the team an update. He met Gibbs and McGee at the clearings edge.


	11. Chapter 11

“He is off his rocker. He is rambling about protection and saving the men and Danny. He did say that Danny can’t stay alive without him and he isn’t going to give up easily. I don’t think we can get between Steve and Danny safely.”

“Okay, McGee, retreat back to the main entrance and meet up with Tony and the rest of the team. We are going to sit on him and make sure nothing escalates.” Said Gibbs. 

Chin and Gibbs waited and watched until McGee was able to come with the rest of the team. As the team approached, the door of the shack swung wide. They all crouched and took aim at McGarrett as he exited and yelled into the night.

“I CAN HEAR YOU! I CAN HEAR YOU! YOU THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME?”

“Stand down, McGarrett.” Yelled Gibbs. “There is an easy way out of this, but you need to stand down and come with us.”

“NO! YOU WILL HAVE TO COME IN HERE AND GET US!”

Gibbs and team stepped forward with weapons aimed. “That will not be happening, McGarrett. You know the drill better than that. We need you to put the weapon down and get down on the ground.”

Steve turned and looked at Gibbs, gun drawn. “I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TRY HARDER THAN THAT!” He then fired a shot at Gibbs, warranting return fire from all six law enforcement agents surrounding him. 

As Steve fell in a heap in front of the door, the agents leaped into action. Tony rushed to Gibbs, as Chin and Kono headed inside the shack toward Danny and Ziva checked on Steve and secured his weapon.

The sound of ambulances came in a far away distance telling all of them that the ordeal would soon be wrapped up. 

\-----

Danny sat on his couch as Grace colored at the kitchen table. He was zoning out and listening to her hum. He had been home for two days and his headache was down to a dull roar. He had trouble keeping heavy food down and got dizzy if he stood up too fast but the doctors said it would diminish. 

He got up slowly when he heard the knock at the door. He looked through the security window to see Tony and Chin on his front step. As he let them in, he steadied himself with the door. 

“What do I owe this pleasure? Grace is here.” Said Danny. It was his warning to keep the topics light and voices down.

“We just wanted to check in and give you a quick update. Do you have someplace private we can talk?” Asked Tony.

“Yeah, hang on. Hey Gracie, we are going to step into the back bedroom for a few minutes. Please come knock if you need anything.” She said a quick okay and they moved to the back room.

“How are doing, Danny?” Asked Chin. 

“I don’t know. My brain is still fuzzy and I am having trouble wrapping my head around everything that has happened. He as my best friend and a bright spot on the island before alll of this happened. I don’t know what to think. How is Gibbs?”

Tony answered, “He is fine, luckily it was dark and it impacted McGarrett’s aim. He had surgery on his arm and got out this morning. We are headed back on a flight out of Pearl at 2200 hours. He is a stubborn bastard, not going to let McGarrett get in his way.”

“I am glad to hear it, and I am glad you all were able to help. I am just sorry that we couldn’t contain this mess.”

“Look, Danny, I know you guys set aside a lot your pride to invite us here. But you did the right thing. Steve was a loose cannon and you all were way too close. I am glad we could help too. Like I told Chin, I can’t imagine what it would be like to find out your friend, and boss, is a serial killer. It is hard to know what was genuine, but the fact of the matter is that you lost a good friend. One way or the other, he was your friend and you will feel the void. I am sorry, man, there is no way around it, this totally fucking sucks.”

Danny looked at Tony and realized that is why this hurt so much more. He lost his friend and he needed to mourn the friendship he lost and the man that he knew Steve McGarrett to be. 

As he saw Tony and Chin out and turned to see his beautiful daughter back to cheerfully coloring at the table, he realized that, eventually, he would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. This was definitely an interesting endeavor for me, and I feel good about the final result. I hope to write more and improve my style and storylines. And, I am happy to have actually finished it, I can't believe I let this fester for close to two years before I finalized everything!


End file.
